All seven winners of the 2013 Rodel Exemplary Principal award are Northern Arizona University alumni. The award recognizes outstanding principals in Arizona's high-need schools. Additionally, six of the 12 winners of the 2013 Rodel Exemplary Teachers award are Northern Arizona University alumni.

A 2012 report by Diverse: Issues in Higher Education ranked Northern Arizona University 11th in the nation for awarding undergraduate degrees in all disciplines to Native American students, and 54th in the nation for awarding undergraduate degrees in all disciplines to Hispanic students.

In 2012, Hispanic Outlook in Higher Education ranked Northern Arizona University 53rd in the nation in awarding undergraduate degrees to Hispanic students, and 23rd in the nation in awarding master's degrees.

Alumnus James Ward Byrkit, who graduated in 1991 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts, won an Oscar for Best Animated Feature Film for Rango at the 84th Annual Academy Awards. He was a member of the film's creative team.

According to the National Survey of Student
Engagement, graduating seniors rank Northern Arizona University higher
than its Carnegie peer institutions in several areas that focus on
student success, including student-faculty interaction, academic rigor, and a
supportive campus environment.

Inspiring Young Scientists

PhD
student Robert
Miranda is inspiring young researchers at the university—and successfully
realizing his dreams.